Folding chair



Nov. 16, 1954 W. E. NORDMARK FOLDING CHAIR Filed July 5 1949 United States Patent Ofifice 2,694,442 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 FOLDING CHAIR Walter E. Nordmark, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 5, 1949, Serial No. 103,081

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-142) The present invention relates to folding chairs and more particularly to metal-frame folding chairs of the inverted Y type.

Many folding chairs of the inverted Y type have been devised in which metal bars of tubular or channel form are employed to provide the U-shaped front frame which forms the back support and front legs of the chair, and rear legs pivoted to the front legs. In most of these chairs the seat is pivoted to the front legs, and links or other means connect the rear of the seat to the rear legs so that when the seat is folded upwardly in the front the entire chair is folded with the rear legs lying alongside the front legs. This type of folding chair requires both hands to fold or unfold, one hand being employed to lift the frame so that the rear legs are off the floor, while the other hand is employed to manipulate the seat.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a Y-type folding chair which may be unfolded by using one hand and folded by using one hand and one foot, the other hand being thus left free to carry a second chair which may likewise be folded and unfolded by using that hand and one foot. The importance of this is that it makes possible seating a hall with folding chairs, and clearing the hall, in about onehalf the time formerly required by enabling the individuals doing the work to handle two chairs at a time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a Y-type folding chair which does not have a tendency to jackknife, 1. e. a chair in which the seat will not pivot even though the occupant shifts his weight rearwardly of the pivotal connections between the seat and the front legs of the chair. Such jack-knifing is common in present-day Y-type folding chairs.

Other objects of the invention are to provide such a folding chair which is simple and sturdy in construction,

reasonably economical in manufacture, and attractive in appearance.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the new folding chair in an unfolded position for occupancy;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same in a semifolded position;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the chair completely folded;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of parts of the chair; and

Figure 5 is' a vertical sectional view of the same taken on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring now in detail to this drawing wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals in the several views, the folding chair there shown is of tubular metal frame construction, having a main frame of inverted U-shape the legs of which form the front legs 11 of the chair and the bight 12 of which forms a support for the back 13 of the chair. Links 14 at opposite sides of the chair are pivotally connected at their front ends to the front legs 11 respectively, slightly below the middles of said front legs. Rear legs 15 are pivotally connected, at their approximate middles, to the rearward ends of links 14 respectively. The rear legs 15 are rigidly interconnected by means of metal rods or struts 16, 17, and the front legs 11 are similarly interconnected by a strut 18.

The chair seat 19 has seat arms 20 secured as bv means of rivets 21 to the opposite sides of the seat. The seat is pivotally connected at opposite sides thereof to the front legs 11 by means of pins 22, and is also pivotally connected in the rear to the rear legs 15 by means of studs 23 passing through said rear legs and through the rearward ends of the seat arms 20.

The upper ends of the rear legs 15 are provided with metal caps 24 secured thereto as by welding, and with resilient rubber socket members 25 snugly fitted over the caps 24 and the upper end portions of the rear legs. The sockets 26 in the upper forward faces of these socket members 25 receive and engage the rearward surfaces of the chairs front legs 11 when the chair is unfolded, thus to support the chair in such unfolded position as best seen in Figure 1. Rubber feet 27 are fitted on the lower ends of the rear legs 15 and similar rubber feet 28 are fitted on the lower ends of the front legs 11.

It will be seen by reference to Figure 3 that when the chair is in a completely folded condition the rear legs 15 extend slightly beyond and below the front legs 11 at their lower extremities. In order to unfold the chair the operator holds the chair in one hand grasping the top of the main frame 10, and then engages the rubber feet 27 on the rear legs with the floor. He then simply pushes the main frame forwardly and downwardly as indicated by the arrow 30 in Figure 3. In order to fold the chair, the operator places his foot on the bottom strut 17 which connects the rear legs 15, grasps the main frame 10, and merely lifts the chair into folded condition as indicated by the arrows 31 and 32 in Figure 3. These unfolding and folding operations can be quickly and easily performed with two chairs at a time, inasmuch as only one hand is required for each chair.

When the chair is in its unfolded position for occupancy, as shown in Figure l, the seat 19 cannot be jack-knifed because of its fixed pivotal connections with both the front legs 11 and the rear legs 15.

It will thus be seen that a novel folding chair has been provided which may quickly and easily be unfolded for use or folded for storage, which is simple and sturdy in construction and attractive in appearance, and while but one specific embodiment of the chair has been herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

I. A folding chair comprising a tubular frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, links pivotally connected to the front legs and extending rearwardly therefrom, tubular rear legs pivotally connected to the rearward ends of said links and extending above the links, a seat pivoted at its opposite sides to the front legs and to the rear legs, the chair being thus foldable to a position with the seat lying between the front legs and with the rear legs lying adjacent and rearwardly of the front legs, and the chair being unfoldable to an inverted Y- form position in which the rear legs are inclined rearwardly-downwardly and the front legs are inclined rearwardly-upwardly, and resilient members fitted to the upper ends of the tubular rear legs and provided with sockets therein within which seat intermediate portions of the chairs tubular front legs in the unfolded position of the chair.

2. A folding chair comprising a tubular frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, links pivotally connected to the front legs and extending rearwardly therefrom, tubular rear legs pivotally connected approximately midway between their upper and lower ends to the rearward ends of said links, a seat pivoted at its opposite sides to the front legs above the latters pivotal connections to the links and said seat being pivoted in the rear to the rear legs above the latters pivotal connections to the links, the chair being thus foldable to a position with the seat lying between the front legs and with the rear legs lying adjacent and rearwardly of the front legs, and the chair being unfoldable to an inverted Y-form position in which the rear legs are inclined rearwardly-downwardly and the front legs are inclined rearwardly-upwardly, and resilient members fitted to the upper ends of th u'bular rear legs and provided with sockets therein within'which seat intermediate portions of the chairs tubular "front legs in the unfolded position of the chair.

3. A folding chair comprising a tubular frame forming a back support and spaced front legs, links pivotally connected to the front legs and extending rearwardly therefrom, tubular rear legs pivotally connected to the rearward ends of said links and extending above the links, a seat pivoted at its opposite sides to the front legs and to the rear legs, the chair being thus foldable to a position with the seat lying between the front legs and with the rear legs lying adjacent andrearwardly of the front legs, and the chair being unfoldable to an inverted Y- form position in which the rear legs are inclined rearwardly-downwardly and the front legs are inclined rearwardly-upwardly, and resilient members fitted to the upper ends of the tubular rear legs against which abut intermediate portions of the chairs tubular front legs in the unfolded position of the chair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Salomon Mar. 4, 1941 Johannsen Nov. 11, 1941 Vogelsang Ian. 16, 1951 Burnham Sept. 18, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date. Australia Mar. 2, 1931 

